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Micro-by-Micro Interactions: How Microorganisms Influence the Fate of Marine Microplastics
Summary
This review examines how microorganisms interact with microplastics in water environments, affecting the transport, breakdown, and toxicity of plastic particles. Microbes colonize plastic surfaces rapidly, altering particle density, chemical composition, and how likely organisms are to ingest them, which has major implications for ecosystem exposure.
Microorganisms drive the biogeochemical cycles that link abiotic and biotic processes in the aqueous environment and are intricately associated with plastic debris. The detection of microplastics in water and sediment introduces new concerns as small particle size allows for yet unconsidered pathways for plastics in the food web and element cycles. In this review, we present current knowledge of microbe-plastic interactions and summarize the potential impact of biogeochemical processes on plastic distribution, cycling, transport, and sedimentation. We explore how microbe-plastic interactions influence the exposure of consumers to plastics and plastic degradation products. Key methods used to elucidate biofilm development, microbial biodegradation, and plastic detection in the aqueous environment are discussed. Finally, we comment on potential future questions and research directions needed to further define the role of microorganisms in the environmental fate of microplastics.
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